The Knowledge Christmas Special

Including: Does top spot at Christmas mean the title is in the bag?; the Boxing Day goal bonanza; and the football teams that appear in the Bible. Send your questions and answers to
knowledge@guardian.co.uk

DOES TOP SPOT AT CHRISTMAS MEAN THE TITLE IS IN THE BAG?

This old chestnuthas raised its gnarly weather-beaten head more than once since our plea for seasonally themed questions. We have answered it before but not since 2006 and even then we focused on the Premier League era. But before we do that, there's time to hand out a couple of minor gongs:

The Award For The Team Top at Christmas Blowing It In The Most Spectacular Fashion: A few candidates for this, though no one has been top at the end of Christmas Day and finished outside the top four since 1972, with the exception of John Gregory's Aston Villa in 1998-99, who won just five of their 20 post Crimbo fixtures to putter sadly into sixth come May. Villa's effort, though, pales in comparison to that of their West Midlands neighbours West Brom in 1912-13. It was, in fairness to the Baggies, a remarkably tight league that year, with the top 11 covered by just four points by the time British families, already stuffed full of imperialism-era turkey, leaned back in their chairs and cracked open the Quality Street. By the season's end, just three more wins meant Albion collapsed to 10th.

The Award For The Team Miles Off The Pace At Christmas Storming Through To Win The Title: Liverpool fans have hope. Though the last team to win the league having been outside the top three at Christmas were Arsenal (who were sixth as the crackers were pulled) way back in 1997-98, plenty of sides have come from even further back. Dave Mackay's Derby charged through from 10th in 1974-75, for example, but the Rams are pipped by two teams for this particular accolade. At Christmas 1936 Manchester City were 12th in another incredibly tight league (20 of the top flight's 22 sides were seperated by just eight points by the end of Christmas Day – City were five points from the summit) but went on to win the title, while Liverpool's 1981-82 title-winning team were also 12th (thanks in part to a couple of games in hand) at the same stage.

But what we really want to know is: in the 110 years of the Football League, does being top at Christmas usually mean the title is in the bag? The answer is no. Not usually. But it is very close. Between Preston North End becoming the first team to lead at Christmas and go on to take the title in the very first season in 1888-89 and Manchester United doing the same three years ago, 46 others matched their achievement. So 48 out of 110 Christmas leaders have gone on to take the title. 43.6% in other words. If you're top at Christmas, it seems, you're likely to lose out in May.

We also delved into the archives to bring you these classic Christmas crackers:

THE BOXING DAY GOAL BONANZA

"I vaguely remember waking up on Boxing Day morning a couple of years ago (with a massive hangover) and seeing a caption on Football Focus with an old list of Boxing Day fixtures and an awful lot of goals. Was it something to do with the DTs or did this really happen?" wondered Ken Davro in 2000.

On 26 December 1963, an amazing 66 goals were scored in the old First Division, leaving some teams wishing there had been a repeat of the previous season's Big Freeze (which had wiped out nearly all the football between Boxing Day and March). Here are the classifieds:

If that wasn't weird enough, the results two days later – when many of the teams played the "return leg" – beggar belief. West Ham, who had lost 8-2 at home to Blackburn, won 3-1 at Ewood Park. Manchester United, fresh from a 6-1 thrashing at Burnley, turned the tables at Old Trafford with a 5-1 win. And poor Ipswich, who had clearly been on the Christmas Day pop, avenged their 10-1 defeat by Fulham with a 4-2 victory over the Cottagers at Portman Road. Much good the two points did them, mind you: they finished bottom.

WHICH FOOTBALL TEAMS APPEAR IN THE BIBLE?

"It is often said that Queen of the South is the only team mentioned in the Bible – but I can find many mentions of Bury (starting in Genesis 23) and Reading (Acts 8:28), and, stretching a point, Hearts and Wolves also get some space. Are there any others I've missed out?" asked George Chilvers in 2005.

There are biblical references aplenty so best to get the most tenuous ones out of the way first. Psalm 80:13 mentions, "Boars from the forest ravage it and the creatures of the field feed on it", while Genesis 12:15 notes, "And when Pharaoh's officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace." Isaiah 41:7 even manages to (sort of) cover two Premier League clubs: "The craftsman encourages the goldsmith, and he who smooths with the hammer spurs on him who strikes the anvil."

But we can do better. Jeremiah 50:25 reads: "The Lord has opened his arsenal and brought out the weapons of his wrath, for the Sovereign Lord Almighty has work to do in the land of the Babylonians." There are also the three mentions of Bolivian club The Strongest; in Samuel 11:16, Chronicles 5:2, and Daniel 3:20, while Brazilian outfit Corinthians even share their name with two books in the Bible.

"There are a few occurences, discounting the use of place names in Israel that still exist and have teams or places names in Latin America named after biblical references," adds John Morrow. "In the New International Version you can find Grasshoppers [Zurich] a number of times (eg Numbers 13:33), while Aurora (a club in Guatemala) occurs a number of times in the Spanish language Nueva Versión Internacional (eg Job 3:9), as does Uruguayan side Defensor (eg Proverbs 23:11)."

But our favourite has to be this – somewhat dubious – suggestion from Bill Wright, relating to Proverbs 13:23: " A poor man's field may produce abundant food, but injustice sweeps it away." Something Stags fans will probably get quicker than most.

KNOWLEDGE ARCHIVE

For previous Christmas specials, including the last time football was played on Christmas Day in Not Remotely Great Britain and what happens when football clubs' Christmas parties go wrong, click here, here, here and here.

NEXT WEEK

The Knowledge is off on holiday, but will be back on 6 January. Happy Christmas!

CAN YOU HELP?

"Assuming it takes a few seasons for a club to gain the necessary experience to do well in the competition, how many seasons could England get away with non-Big Four clubs qualifying for the Champions League but not doing very well, before Uefa gives England's fourth place to another country?" writes Glen Wells. "Also, given the way the money is allocated to countries, then between clubs, how much is it worth to the three other clubs if the fourth club goes out at the qualifying stage?"

"At the end of the 2008-09 season Tromso have a record of almost perfect mediocrity in the Norwegian league, played 30, won 10, drawn 10, lost 10, goal difference -1," writes Daniel Howell. "Who has managed to go one better and get not only an even mix of results but a goal difference of zero. Or even managed it with even home and away results?"

"Deva Stadium, the home ground of Chester City, straddles two countries," writes Graham Clayton. "The ground and spectator stands are in Wales, while the offices and administration buildings are in England. Are there any other football stadiums in the world that straddle two countries?"

"One-time Serie A champions Hellas Verona have completed the first half of their current Serie C1/B season without conceding a single goal away from home (P9 W3 D6 L0 F6 A0)," writes Phil Hawkins. "Are there any better examples of teams with tight defences on their travels?"